N.Y. ACA Law § 8.11

§ 8.11. New York state Walt Whitman citation of merit for poets. 1.\nThe governor shall biennially present the New York state Walt Whitman\ncitation of merit to a distinguished New York poet upon the\nrecommendation of the panel constituted in this section. The poet\nselected shall be considered the state poet and the citation shall carry\nan honorarium of ten thousand dollars.\n 2. The institute shall biennially appoint and convene an advisory\npanel of distinguished poets and persons with particular expertise in\nthe field of poetry. The director of the institute shall be a permanent\nmember of the advisory panel and each current state poet shall serve as\na member of the panel in choosing the next New York state Walt Whitman\npoet. The panel shall recommend to the governor a poet whose\nachievements make him or her deserving of such recognition.\n 3. The state poet shall promote and encourage poetry within the state\nand shall give two public readings within the state each year.\n 4. The institute shall establish such procedures and guidelines as are\nnecessary to effect the provisions of this section.\n